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Student of the Month; Patsy Mugabi – Founder Association for Foreign Students Group

By June 13, 2017 No Comments

The Association for Foreign Students support group, founded by the Student of the Month Patsy Nalukenge Mugabi, gives international students a home away from home. Coming from diverse backgrounds with different kinds of culture change, the association seeks to provide a platform where these students can interact and support each other through their degree courses.

The Association actively kicked off in March, where different Chapter for each country was introduced. The Chapters include Ugandan Chapter, Congolese Chapter, Tanzanian Chapter, and Rwandese Chapter among others. The Chapters communicate through social media groups, where they organize their activities for their upcoming meetings and matters to be discussed in those meetings, before they unite. The Chapter serves as a support system to the foreign students, and with the help of Kenyan students who advise them on different factors to note, e.g. which transport systems to use, which market to go to, etc. the association is a great platform for its beneficiaries.

Patsy’s nomination stemmed from the formation of this association group. She is an introvert, and as result this nomination came as a surprise as she formed this group out of courage, knowing she is not necessarily a people’s person.

To be the winner, Patsy together with a group of other nominated students, were interviewed on questions related to Strathmore University; some of the questions asked included what university’s vision, mission, motto, coat of arms etc. are. Patsy nominated herself for this recognition, but she also found out that her friends had nominated her which boosted her confidence in it. After her first interview, she was shortlisted to the top ten before she was finally emailed and advised that she was the winner.

Patsy is a 2nd Year Financial Economics student, in the Strathmore Institute of Mathematical Sciences (SIMS), who is confident that her course is still very new in her home country Uganda and as a result a marketable choice. She loved the idea of studying a financial course, in the hope of becoming a decision maker in this field, as well as enjoying economics and technology; subjects she loves.

Although the course is challenging, Patsy is consoled by the fact that she is not the only FE student, and further to that, is in the care of passionate lecturers who drive them to achieve successes.

Patsy is grateful to the university for the great exposure and lessons she has learnt this far. She believes she has grown especially on matters finance, such as learning about interest rates capping. She also enjoys the Kenyan spirit that encourages people to go for what they are keen on doing, opposed to the laissez’s faire attitude in Uganda. The top notch facilities in the university and the availability of lecturers are also added advantages to studying in Kenya.

The desire to ensure the she goes to her final resting place having emptied her full potential here on earth, motivates Patsy to work hard and seize new opportunities. She has found a new love for attempting new activities and challenges outside of her norm, to grow.

Patsy presented at Poetry Slam event that took place at Alliance Francoise on Saturday 10th June, 2017, to venture into something new and challenging. As a poetry writer, she felt she needed to explore presentations of poetry to grow. Her blog JustifiedDecstasy where she features her poetry also features her interests, such as in, lifestyle matters, literature and spoken word.

In the next 5 years, Patsy hopes to have opened her mentoring firm for girls in technology and mathematical units, who would also be encouraged in their creativity. She also hopes to be a financial analyst, planning or pursuing her Masters. She wishes to encourage women to take up technology and mathematics without feeling scared or having an attitude of they can’t make it.